Shaun Burgoyne and Wayde Skipper have a way to go to equal Kelvin Moore’s Club record of most wins from debut.

Given that Hawthorn have not lost since Burgoyne and Skipper made their Hawthorn debuts in Round 8, several readers have asked whether their six consecutive wins from debut is close to a Club record.

Kelvin Moore played in 17 consecutive wins from his debut in Round 21 1970.  Having played in wins in the final two games of 1970, he played in a further 15 winning teams in the first 17 games of the Hawks very successful 1971 season (fortunately missing the only loss to that point of the season, against Footscray in Round 6). 

The first loss in which Moore played was in Round 18, when the Hawks lost to Richmond by 32 points at the MCG.  He is actually equal second in VFL-AFL history behind Albert Lauder (Coll) 18 (1926-29) and equal with Alby Ingleman (Carl) 17 (1905-08).

Other Hawks with good sequences of wins from debut have been Barry Rowlings (12), Scott Maginness (9) and Cyril Rioli (9). 

Interestingly, Burgoyne also played in 14 consecutive winning teams from his Port Adelaide debut in Round 3 2002.



Lance Franklin’s career goal average went above three per game for the first time when he kicked the first of his two spectacular last quarter goals against Essendon.  He now has 335 goals from 111 games, at an average of 3.02 goals per game.  He had reached an average of 3.00 when he kicked 5 goals against Carlton in Round 9 and stayed on that average when he kicked three in Rounds 10 and 12 (he missed Round 11 through suspension).

Only four Hawthorn players have finished their careers with averages of above three goals per game - Peter Hudson (5.64), Jason Dunstall (4.66), Jack Green (4.18) and Johnny Hall (3.50).  It should be noted that Hall only played two games, the final two matches of 1938.



10 years ago this round, in Round 14 2000, Hawthorn had a record 16 individual goal-kickers in an 85 point victory over bottom team St Kilda, in a game that had been shifted from Docklands to the MCG at the last minute, due to the state of the surface at the new ground.  The only players to kick more than two goals were Trent Croad (5) and Nick Holland (3), while Shane Crawford played his best game of his post-Brownlow season, gaining 36 disposals and the three Brownlow votes.


 
20 years ago this round, in Round 14 1990, Hawthorn confirmed that it was a better team than its 1989 Grand Final opponent, Geelong, by adding a 68 point win to the 115-point one in Round 1.  A Waverley crowd of 30,211 saw the Hawks almost have the game won when they led 7.4 to 0.2 at quarter time.  Paul Dear booted four goals, outscoring his higher profile team-mates, Jason Dunstall and Dermott Brereton who each kicked three.  Stephen Lawrence secured the three Brownlow votes.



40 years ago this round, in Round 14 1970, eighth placed Hawthorn scored a stunning win over top team Collingwood in front of 19,600 at Glenferrie.  A high-scoring first half saw the scores tied at 11.6 each, before the Hawks slipped away to a 20 point lead at the final change.  In stark contrast, to the earlier part of the game the final quarter saw Hawthorn add 1.1 to 0.3 to secure the win.  Peter Hudson kicked nine goals.



60 years ago this round, in Round 14 1950, Hawthorn went closer than any other game in what ended up being a winless season when they lost to Footscray by just two points at Glenferrie.  Having led by 11 points at half-time, the Hawks had fallen behind by 16 points at three quarter time but then battled back to lose 11.12 to 11.14.



70 years ago this round, in Round 14 1940, Hawthorn recorded its first ever win in an away game against Richmond.  After 15 seasons of VFL football, Hawthorn had still only won away to eight of the eleven opposing teams.  In the space of four rounds in 1940, Hawthorn achieved overdue wins at both Princes Park, by nine points in Round 10, and Punt Road to enhance that record. 

Hawthorn had recorded two wins over Richmond at Glenferrie, in 1936 and 1938, and now the 10th placed Mayblooms were travelling to Punt Road to see if they could secure a ground-breaking away win against the fourth placed Tigers. It did not all that likely when Hawthorn trailed by 12 points at half time, but that was reduced to just one point at the final change, before a strong finish saw a 12.15.87 to 11.13.79 win.  Albert Naismith booted three goals

The win at Punt Road left Victoria Park, Collingwood as the only frontier that had not been crossed.  The final crossing, in Round 13, 1960 was described in Round 13 Footy Flashbacks.



This Friday night will be the 151st meeting between Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs lead the Hawks by two the head-to-head battle - 75 to73 with two draws (in 1996 and 1999).  

Given that Hawthorn leads the Bulldogs by 10 premierships to one, and has appeared in 15 Grand Finals to two, the Dogs’ head-to head is quite striking.  It is explained by the fact while both teams struggled in their early years after joining the League, Footscray were significantly better than Hawthorn.  Then, in the 1970s and 1980s, when the Hawks were strong, an upset loss to the Bulldogs was always on the cards
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The Bulldogs have won seven of the past 10 meetings between the two clubs, in each case the first (or only) match between of the past seven seasons.  The three times the clubs met for a second time in the season, in Round 19, 2004, Round 21, 2007 and in the 2008 Qualifying Final, the Hawks were victorious.  One can only hope that the second match trend continues in 2010.

Another positive omen is that the Hawks seem to do well against the Dogs on Friday nights, having beaten them in home and away games at Docklands in 2000 and 2002, and in the Qualifying Final at the MCG in 2008.



Hawthorn has played 83 matches in Round 14 (having had byes in 1993 and 1994), with a record of 37 wins and 46 losses.  The Hawks won four consecutive Round 14 games from 2000 to 2003, but has since lost four of the last six, the only exception being a 57 point victory against West Coast at the MCG on a Friday night in 2008.



The highest individual goal tally kicked by a Hawthorn player against the Bulldogs is 14 by Jason Dunstall in Round 19, 1996 at Waverley.  The Round 14 individual goal-kicking record for Hawthorn is 12, kicked by Peter Hudson against Footscray at Glenferrie in 1968.



Anyone interested in introducing their children to the history of Hawthorn should consider taking them to the Hawks Museum at Waverley these school holidays.  While there, you can also become a Friend of the Hawks Museum. 

Any inquiries can be directed to Peter Haby on 03 9535 3075 or email hawksmuseum@hawthornfc.com.au.  

When at the Museum make sure you purchase your copy of Mud, Muscle and Blood: The Story of the 1957 Hawks, the first Hawthorn team to contest a Finals Series.  There are only a handful of copies remaining.